192 member countries of the Universal Postal Union mark the 48th World Post Day

10.10.2017

Today, the 9th of October 2017, the 192 member countries of the Universal Postal Union, including Latvia, mark the World Post Day for the 48th time. The Universal Postal Union was established in Berne, Switzerland on that day in 1874, and this is the second oldest international organisation in the world. The world postal industry is undergoing a major transformation in the modern digital era, with the e-commerce playing an increasingly bigger role and the number of its items growing, but postal employees are still the ones who ensure receipt of mail and access to information also in the outermost regions.

The postal establishments of the member countries of the Universal Postal Union employ more than 5 million people in almost 691,000 post offices around the world, offering a wide range of electronic, financial and logistics services. More than 320 milliard letters and almost eight milliard parcel items are processed in the member countries every year.

Latvia is represented among the postal establishments of the member countries of the Universal Postal Union by Latvijas Pasts, the largest company in this industry in the country, with more than 600 post offices, employing over 4,200 people who handle 25,000 letters and 33,000 parcels and small packets on average per day.

Mārcis Vilcāns, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, points out: “Thanks to our postmen, post office operators, couriers, item processing workers, sorters and drivers, as well as all other employees of Latvijas Pasts, every resident of Latvia receives the items he or she needs. Speaking about the people residing in the outermost countryside farmsteads, it is Latvijas Pasts that provides them both with access to information by delivering printed press and with the connection to the outside world in the form of letter post, as well as financial services. So today I say a big thank you to all my colleagues in the company’s big family!”

Although the use of traditional postal services is decreasing at the global level, the number of e-commerce items is growing at the same time. Latvijas Pasts has become actively involved in the servicing of Internet items, including the development of individual data exchange solutions for the needs of specific customers and providing favourable delivery conditions to the recipients of items. For example, Latvijas Pasts solution of offering customers to collect e-commerce items from 60 Circle-K fuel stations throughout the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has been recognised as innovative at the level of the European postal organisations.

The Universal Postal Union is the main organisation for the cooperation of postal service providers that helps to ensure a universal network enabling all 192 member countries to keep track of the developments related to postal products and services. The Union develops rules for international postal exchange and makes recommendations for increasing the volume of letters, parcels and financial services, as well as improving the quality of customer service.

About SJSC Latvijas Pasts

Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with more than 4,200 employees. The quality measurements of Latvijas Pasts domestic mail deliveries are regularly conducted by Kantar TNS, one of the leading market, social and media research agencies in Latvia. In turn, the quality measurements of the cross-border deliveries are provided within the framework of the International Post Corporation through the intermediary of the research companies Kantar TNS, Ipsos and Quotas.